Apparatus for cutting sheet material from a core



April 1966 G. G. BAYLEY 3,245,302

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL FROM A CORE Filed June 1, 1964 Sheets-Sheet l fl" "IV P 1966 e. G. BAYLEY 3,245,302

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL FROM A CORE Filed June 1, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ig-2 48:25 g

United States Patent 3,245,302 APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL FROM A CORE Gilbert G. Bayley, Winneconne, Wis., assignor to Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 1, 1964, Ser. No. 371,701 4 Claims. (Cl. 83-614) My invention relates to papermaking machines and more particularly to machines and apparatus for cutting paper oif of paper rolls.

Paper during manufacture is generally wound in rolls on cores of fiberboard or paper. These rolls may be 40 to 60 inches in diameter, and the cores may be about 3 inches in diameter, for example. The rolls may be usde in multiples on various machines, such as from 15 to 40 rolls simultaneously. It is, as a practical matter, impossible to assure that all of these rolls being used simultaneously will be exhausted during usage at the same time; and, in view of the fact that it is desirable from a savings of time standpoint that all of the rolls be replaced by fresh rolls at the same time, nearly invariably there will remain some rolls having a residual amount of paper on them. Such partially used or cull rolls may, for example, have a diameter of 10 inches or less.

It is desirable that the paper from such partially used rolls may be cut from the rolls easily and quickly in order that the paper may be repulped and that the cores may be reused, and it is an object of the present invention to provide improved cutting machines particularly adapted for cutting the paper from such partially used rolls.

Most particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide improved cutting machines, comprising an arbor, on which such a partially used roll may be mounted, and comprising also a motor driven knife which moves axially and in a direction parallel to the arbor for cutting the paper roll off the arbor from one end to the other.

The invention consists of the novel constructions, arrangements and devices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above stated objects and such other objects as will be apparent from the following description of preferred forms of the invention, illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a cutting machine embodying the principles of the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are end elevational views of the machine viewed from the left and right ends, respectively, of the machine as illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 44 of FIG. 1 on the direction indicated;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 55 of FIG. 1 in the direction indicated; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5 in the direction indicated.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views.

The illustrated cutter mechanism may be seen to comprise, in general, a frame 10, a knife 11 carried by and movably disposed on the frame 10, an arbor 12 for carrying a roll of paper which is split by the knife as the knife travels from one end to the other of the frame 10, and drive mechanism 13 for moving the knife.

The frame comprises three vertically disposed channels 14, and 16, and three channels 17, 1S and 19, which are respectively positioned behind the channels 14, 15 and 16. I beams 20, 21 and 22 respectively connect the channels 14 and 17, 15 and 18, and 16 and 19 3,245,302 Patented Apr. 12, 1966 at the upper ends of these channels. Channels 14 and 17 and 15 and 18, intermediate the upper and lower ends of these channels, are connected by I-beams 23 and 24. Bracing channels 25, 26 and 27 connect the upright channels 14 and 17, 15 and 18, and 16 and 19, respectively, adjacent the lower ends of the upright channels.

The channels 14, 15, 17 and 18 are located adjacent one end of the frame 10 as illustrated, and there is a relatively wide separation between the channels, 16 and 19, and the other channels. Channels 28 and 29 extend longitudinally of the machine. The channel 28 connects the upright channels 14, 15 and 16 adjacent the lower ends of these upright channels; and the channel 29 connects the upright channels 17, 18 and 19 adjacent the lower ends of these channels.

A pair of I-beams 30 and 31 are fixed to the lower surfaces of the I-beams 20, 21 and 22 and extend longitudinally of the machine. A knife carriage 32 is movably disposed with respect to the I-beams 30 and 31, so that the carriage travels longitudinally of the machine. The carriage 32 comprises a frame 33 having a pair of spaced journals 34 and 35 with shafts 36 and 37 rotatably disposed in the journals. Rollers 38 and 39 are fixed on the opposite ends of the shaft 36, and rollers 40 and 41 are fixed on opposite ends of the shaft 37. The rollers 38, 39, 40 and 41 are positioned between inner flanges of the I-beams 30 and 31, so that these flanges form tracks for the rollers and carriage 32. The knife 11 is positioned in a slot 42 provided in the frame 33, and the knife 11 is held fixed in the slot 42 by'means of a plate 43 that overlies theknife 11.

The drive mechanism 13 comprises an electric motor 44 connected by means of a drive chain 45 with a speed reducer 46. A shaft 47 is rotatably disposed on adjacent ends of the I-beams 30 and 31 by means of pillow blocks 48 fixed on the upper surfaces of the beams 30 and 31. The shaft 47 is driven from the speed reducer 46 by means of an output sprocket 49 on the speed reducer, a sprocket 50 fixed on the shaft 47 and a chain 51 extending over the sprockets 49 and 54]. An idler sprocket 52 is in engagement with the chain 51 for maintaining the chain taut. The sprocket 52 is swinga-bly mounted with respect to the I-beams 30 and 31 by means of a swinging arm 53.

A shaft 54 is rotatably disposed on the other ends of the I-beams 30 and 31 by means of pillow blocks 55 fixed to the I-beams. A sprocket 56 is fixed on the shaft 47, and a sprocket 57 is fixed on the shaft 54; and a chain 58 extends around the sprockets 56 and 57. The chain has one end fixed to a lug 59 on one end of the frame 33, and the other end of the chain 58 is fixed to a lug 60 on the other end of frame 33. and 62 are provided for holding the chain 58 taut. The sprockets 61 and 62 are respectively carried by arms 63 and 64 that are suitably mounted and fixed with respect to the I-beams 30 and 31.

The arbor 12 extends through the machine from the beams 14 and 17 to the beams 16 and 19. The arbor 12 is round in cross section and is fixed to the I-beams 23 and 24 by means of pillow blocks 65 and 66 through which the arbor 12 extends and which are fixed to the upper surfaces of the beams 23 and 24. It will thusbe apparent that the arbor 1 2 is mounted as a contilever and has its end between the channels 16 and 19 free except as will hereinafter be described.

A stop bar 67 is swingably journalled with respect to the upright channel 19 by means of a shaft 68 fixed to the channel 19. The movable end of the stop bar 67 is adapted to be located within a channel 69 that is fixed to the upright channel 16. The channel 69 is provided with Idler sprockets 61 an opening 70 therethrough, and the stop bar 67 has a pin 71 extending through it which is adapted to enter the opening 70. A compression spring 72 is disposed about the pin 71, .and the arrangement is such that the spring 72 yieldably moves the pin 71 into the opening 70 for fixing the stop bar 67 in a horizontal position. The pin 71 is provided on one end with a knob 73 by means of which the pin 71 may be "withdrawn from the opening 70 as desired.

Paper roll guiding rollers 74 and 75 are provided on the end of the machine adjacent the free end of the arbor 12. The rollers 74 and 75 are disposed in brackets 76, 77, 78 and 79 that are fixed on a horizontal channel 80. The channel 80 is supported by means of horizontally extending channels 81 and 82 that are fixed at their ends respectively to the upright channels 16 and 19, and the ends of channels 81 and 82 are supported by means of rigid stays 83 and 84 that are also fixed on their ends to the channels 16 and 19.

The electric motor 44 is preferably controlled so that it is inoperative when the stop bar 67 is not in its horizontal position, and the motor 44 is preferably also so controlled that the knife 11 is moved from right to left as seen in FIG. 1 and is then automatically returned to the end of its travel to the right as seen in this figure. The motor 44 is rendered inoperative when the stop bar 67 is not located in its horizontal position by means of a limit switch 85 that is actuated by the pin 71. A limit switch 86 is supported by the I-beams 30 and 31 at one end of the machine, and a limit switch 87 is supported by these I-beams at the other end of the machine. The switch 86 is so electrically connected with the motor 44 that the motor is reversed when the limit switch 86 is actuated by the carriage 32; and the motor is stopped by the limit switch 87 when the latter switch is actuated by the carriage 32, for subsequent manual reactuation by any suitable switch mechanism.

In operation, a nearly exhausted cull roll of paper 88 having a pastboard core 89 is mounted on the arbor 12 by rolling it over the rollers 74 and 75 and pushing it on to the arbor 12. It will be observed that the rollers 74 and 75 extend at an obtuse angle with respect to each other, with their adjacent inner ends being at a lower level than their outer ends, and the rollers 74 and 75 thus center the roll 88 with respect to the arbor 12 and support the roll, so that its core 89 may easily be moved on to the arbor 12. Although many different sizes of rolls 88 may be used with the illustrated cutting mechanism, it is contemplated, that a roll of about 12 /2 inches diameter and about 76 inches long may be used. The roll may be moved over the rollers 74 and 75 either manually or with the help of conventional hoist mechanism; and, in the event that different rolls 88 vary in diameter, it is necessary only to tilt the rolls 88 at slightly different angles over the rollers 74 and 75 in order to cause the arbor 12 to enter into the cores 89 of these rolls, since there is a substantial distance between the rollers 74 and 75 and the end of the arbor 12 lengthwise of the machine.

The roll 88 to be cut is moved completely on to the arbor 12 and the stop bar 67 is then swung upwardly about its supporting shaft 68 so that it is in its position as illustrated in FIGS. 1, and 6. The stop bar 67 in this position provides a partial support for the arbor 12 and the roll 88 carried by the arbor and the bar 67 is fixed in this position by means of the pin 71 which enters the opening 70. The bar 67 in this horizontal position makes contact with the inside of the channel 69 which functions as a stop for the bar 67. The pin 71 when it enters the opening 70 actuates the limit switch 85, rendering it possible to energize the motor 44.

The motor 44 then, by suitable manual controls (not shown), has electric power supplied to it; and the motor then drives the knife assembly 32 from the right end of the machine toward the left end, as seen in FIG. 1, acting through the reduction unit 46, the sprockets 49 and 50, the chain 51, the sprockets 56 and 57, and the chain 58. The assembly 32 and the knife 11 move across the roll 88, and the knife 11 in so moving cuts through the paper of the roll 88, substantially to the core 89, and splits the windings of the paper on the core 89 so that the split paper falls off the core and renders the core 89 suitable for later use for another roll of paper. As the knife 11 travels through its cutting stroke, the bar 67 performs a second function of holding the paper roll 88 from endwise movement off the arbor 12 under the cutting action of the knife 11. The knife carriage 32, when it completes its travel to the left, actuates the limit switch 86 and reverses the motor 44 so that the knife 11 is returned to the limit of its movement to the right as seen in FIG. 1. The carriage 32 then actuates the limit switch 87 and deenergizes the motor 44. The core 89 is removed from the arbor 12 by pulling out the pin 71 from the opening 70, allowing the stop bar 67 to swing downwardly, and then drawing the core 89 off the arbor 12.

I wish it to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, except only insofar as the claims may be so limited, as it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a machine for cutting the sheet material from a roll of the material wound on a core, the combination of a machine frame, an arbor mounted on one end from said frame as a cantilever, a pair of guide rollers mounted on said frame at the other end of said arbor, said rollers extending at an obtuse angle with respect to each other and upwardly from adjacent ends of the rollers for acting as guides for a roll of the sheet material to be moved onto the arbor, a knife assembly movably mounted on said frame so that the knife moves parallel with said arbor from one end of the roll mounted on the arbor to the other end of the roll, and motor means mounted on said frame for driving said knife from one end of the roll to the other so as to split off the sheet material from the core.

2. In a machine for cutting sheet material from a roll of the material wound on a core, the combination of a machine frame, an arbor mounted as a cantilever on one end of said frame, a pair of guide rollers mounted on said frame at the end, said rollers extending at an obtuse angle with respect to each other and upwardly from adjacent ends of the rollers for acting as guides for a roll of the sheet material to be removed axially on to the arbor, a knife assembly movably mounted on said frame so that the knife moves parallel with said arbor from one end of the roll mounted on the arbor to the other end of the roll with the end of the knife traveling in close proximity to the core of the roll, a pair of sprockets rotatably mounted on opposite ends of said machine, an endless chain disposed over said sprockets and connected with said knife assembly, and motor means for driving one of said sprockets and for thereby driving said chain and knife assembly to move the knife from one end of the sheet material roll to the other end of the sheet material roll for splitting off the said material from the core of the roll.

3. In a machine for cutting sheet material from a roll of the material wound on a core, the combination of a frame, an arbor mounted as a cantilever from one end of the frame so as to receive a roll of the sheet material from the other end of the arbor, a knife, means for movably mounting said knife in said frame so that the knife travels longitudinally of the arbor and core, motor means for driving said knife from one end of the roll to the other end of the roll for cutting the sheet material from the roll, and a stop bar swingably mounted on said frame and movable upwardly under said arbor and alongside of the sheet material roll mounted on the arbor for holding the sheet material roll from movement 01f the arbor as said knife cuts the sheet material from the roll.

4. In a machine for cutting sheet material from a roll of material wound on a core, the combination of a ma chine frame, an arbor mounted on the frame as a cantilever from one end of the arbor so that the roll may be moved on the arbor from the other end of the arbor, a knife assembly movably mounted on the frame so that the knife assembly travels longitudinally of the arbor and core from the cantilevered end of the arbor toward the other end of the arbor with knife being in close proximity to the core, a swingable stop bar movable upwardly into a fixed position in contact with said other end of the arbor for holding the roll from movement off the arbor as the knife moves through the roll, a catch pin for locking said swingable bar in its position in contact with said arbor, means for driving said knife for splitting the sheet material from the core and including an electric motor, and a control switch for the electric motor actuated by said pin and rendering the motor in- 6 operable until said pin is in its latched position holding the swingable bar in its :position in contact with said other end of the arbor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,118,460 11/1914 Winkley 83-614 1,745,873 2/1930 Stoltz 83-484 X 1,838,011 12/1931 Peter 83-924 X 2,609,876 9/1952 Bauer et a1 28-19 2,760,570 8/ 1956 Reckhow 83-909 X 2,957,065 10/1960 Bundegaard et a1. 83-924 X 3,087,688 4/1963 Anderson et al. 242-56 3,112,550 12/1963 Bently 28-19 3,137,913 5/1964 Hayes 28-19 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

J. M. MEISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE SHEET MATERIAL FROM A ROLL OF THE MATERIAL WOUND ON A CORE, THE COMBINATION OF A MACHINE FRAME, AN ARBOR MOUNTED ON ONE END FROM SAID FRAME AS A CANTILEVER, A PAIR OF GUIDE ROLLERS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AT THE OTHER END OF SAID ARBOR, SAID ROLLERS EXTENDING AT AN OBTUSE ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND UPWARDLY FROM ADJACENT ENDS OF THE ROLLERS FOR ACTING AS GUIDES FOR A ROLL OF THE SHEET MATERIAL TO BE MOVED ONTO THE ARBOR, A KNIFE ASSEMBLY MOVABLE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME SO THAT THE KNIFE MOVES PARALLEL WITH SAID ARBOR FRON ONE END OF THE ROLL MOUNTED ON THE ARBOR TO THE OTHER END OF THE ROLL, AND MOTOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR DRIVING SAID KNIFE FROM ONE END OF THE ROLL TO THE OTHER SO AS TO SPLIT OFF THE SHEET MATERIAL FROM THE CORE. 